Page 99 - Adventures in shadow-land

green toad had pulled her dress* another of the

children spoke and told Eva that the green toad
*
was Aster’s friend, and would do all it could to
help him. That, just before she came to the
valley, it had been there and told them she was

coming. And then Eva finished her story, and
begged them to let her go.

“ We cannot keep you,” they said to her,
“ even if we wished it. We would like to keep

you with us, but the green toad has commanded
us to help you, so far as lies in our power. But

we cannot save you from the dangers of the way.
T h e y , who are more powerful than our Queen,

have forbidden it, and will not allow us to tell you.
what these dangers are, or how you can avoid

them or escape them. That you will learn on
the Enchanted River, down which you will have

to go, and we must, if you ask us, furnish you
with the means of reaching it. You cannot

go there unless we help you, and we cannot keep
you here if we would.' ’

(t Will I find Aster ?" Eva asked.

“ That will depend upon yourself,” one of the
children said, exactly as if she was telling a story